Contents tagged with Baltic States
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Lithuanian MoD: NATO fighters escorted Russian aircraft over the Baltic five times last week
NATO jets escorted Russian military aircraft over the Baltic Sea on five occasions last week, BaltNews reported with reference to the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense.
On June 23rd, NATO fighters escorted a Russian IL-20 cargo plane flying in international airspace from the Kaliningrad exclave. The aircraft was following its flight plan, but its transponder was turned off. A Russian Tu-134 cargo plane was also intercepted on Thursday for the same reason.
On the same day, a Russian Su-27 fighter …
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NATO fighters intercepted three Russian military aircraft over the Baltic Sea
Fighters of NATO’s air defense mission in the Baltic states have intercepted three Russian military aircraft near the Latvian borders. This was reported by the Latvian National Armed Forces via Twitter.
“On the 14th of June, jets patrolling the airspace of the Baltic states intercepted two Russian Su-27 aircraft and one AN-26 aircraft near the borders of Latvia. The jets then escorted them over the Baltic Sea,” the tweet said.
Since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, and the subsequent …
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Financial Times: Poland and the Baltic States plan to create a regional air defense system
The Minister of National Defense of Lithuania, Juozas Olekas, stated in an interview with the Financial Times that Poland and the Baltic States are negotiating the creation of a regional air defense system for protection from Russia.
According to Olekas, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia are discussing this initiative in response to the strengthening of Russian military forces in Kaliningrad and on the western borders.
Such an air defense system is expected be commissioned in two to three …
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Lavrov: Russia will react to NATO's activities in the Baltic region
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the Kremlin will take certain measures in response to increased NATO activity in the Baltic region. According to Reuters, he said this at a meeting with Finland’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Timo Soini, in Moscow.
Lavrov said this on the same day as NATO’s large-scale BALTOPS 16 exercises began. These involve NATO troops landing on Finnish soil for the first time.
“We do not hide our negative attitude towards the fact that NATO is moving their …
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NATO exercises begin in the Baltic Sea
The Naval exercise, BALTOPS 2016, led by NATO started on June 3rd in the southern part of the Baltic Sea near the coasts of Sweden, Denmark and Poland, Delfi.lt reports. BALTOPS (Baltic Operations) exercises have been carried out since 1971. In 2016, training will be held from June 3rd to the 18th. They began on Friday in the Estonian waters of the Baltic Sea.
A total of 50 ships from 18 NATO nations and alliance partners will take part in the maneuvers, as well as 60 aircraft, helicopters and …
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NATO Saber Knight exercise begins in Estonia
As reported by ERR, the press-service of the First Infantry Brigade declared that on Monday, May 30th, the Saber Knight international military exercises began in Tapa. More than 600 military personnel are participating.
Staff exercises will continue until the 9th of June. Their main task is to practice planning and conducting military operations in the Baltic states. These exercises will involve readiness to repel an attack from a simulated state called "Botnia,” the statement said.
Military …
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Media: British soldiers, tanks and artillery will be deployed to the Baltic states
For the first time, British soldiers will be stationed in the three Baltic states within the framework of NATO’s new strategy to deter potential aggression from Russia, as reported by The Times, citing sources in the UK Ministry of Defense.
At the NATO summit in Warsaw, Britain will reportedly offer to deploy 1,000 troops as well as tanks and artillery to the Baltic states.
The Alliance’s preliminary plan is to deploy 4,000 troops to Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. The specifics will be …
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Visegrad Four Defense Ministers agree that NATO should strengthen its eastern flank
According to Polish Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz, the Visegrad Four countries agree that NATO needs to strengthen its eastern border, Radio Polsha reported.
"Strengthening of the eastern flank of NATO should be a priority for the Alliance. The Visegrad countries agree that NATO forces should be placed in Poland and the Baltic countries,” Macierewicz said on May 27th after meeting with the defense ministers of Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
“Poland has the responsibility for …
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NATO 'Saber Strike 2016' exercise begins in the Baltic states
The large-scale NATO exercise Saber Strike 2016 have begun in the Baltic states, which are aimed at improving interaction between member states in a wide range on military operations.
10,000 soldiers from 13 member states and partner countries are participating in the exercise.
As stated on the US Army-Europe’s website, “Saber Strike 16 features allied and partner-nation ground forces conducting live-fire, command post, and cyber/electronic warfare training, plus the integration of U.S. close- …
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NATO jets were scrambled to intercept Russian aircraft 9 times in a week
Last week, aircraft from the NATO air policing mission in the Baltic States were scrambled to identify and escort Russian military aircraft nine times. Estonian daily newspaper Postimees referred to the Estonian Ministry of Defense as their source. On the 16th of May, Russian IL-20s and AN-26s flew in the international airspace over the Baltic Sea towards the Kaliningrad region.
On the 17th of May, fighter jets were scrambled to identify and escort more IL-20’s and two Su-27 fighters. The IL-2 …